Embracing God's Promises: The Key to Transformation
Summary
In the sermon, the central theme revolves around the profound difference between those who possess a relationship with God and those who do not. This distinction is illustrated through the biblical figures of Esau and Jacob. Esau, despite his princely status, is described as a profane person, while Jacob, though frail and fallible, is blessed because he has God. The sermon emphasizes that having God as one's portion transforms every aspect of life, providing security, guidance, and hope in the past, present, and future.
The sermon further explores the power of prayer and the importance of pleading God's promises. It highlights Jacob's example of wrestling with God in prayer, using the promise "Thou said" as a powerful plea. This act of recalling and pleading God's promises is portrayed as a master key to unlocking divine intervention and blessings. The sermon encourages believers to deeply know and cherish God's promises, treating them as precious treasures that guide and sustain them through life's challenges.
Moreover, the sermon underscores the reliability of God's promises, rooted in His unchanging nature, truthfulness, and omnipotence. It reassures believers that God is bound by His word and will fulfill His promises, regardless of human unworthiness. The sermon calls for a deep trust in God's character and encourages believers to approach Him with confidence, using His promises as a foundation for their prayers and hopes.
Ultimately, the sermon invites believers to rely on God's promises for salvation, deliverance, and future blessings. It encourages them to plead these promises in prayer, trusting that God will be faithful to His word. The sermon concludes with a call to prioritize God's word over human words, urging believers to hold fast to His promises and find peace and rest in His faithfulness.
Key Takeaways:
- The Distinction of Having God: The possession of a relationship with God makes a profound difference in one's life. While worldly wisdom and strength may fail, those who have God as their portion are secure and blessed, as illustrated by Jacob's life. This relationship provides hope and guidance in every aspect of life. [02:18]
- The Power of Pleading God's Promises: Jacob's example of wrestling with God in prayer, using the promise "Thou said," highlights the power of pleading God's promises. This act of recalling and pleading God's word is a master key to unlocking divine intervention and blessings. Believers are encouraged to deeply know and cherish God's promises. [07:02]
- God's Unchanging Nature and Faithfulness: God's promises are reliable because they are rooted in His unchanging nature, truthfulness, and omnipotence. He is bound by His word and will fulfill His promises, regardless of human unworthiness. Believers can trust in God's character and approach Him with confidence. [21:29]
- The Importance of Knowing God's Promises: Believers are urged to study and know God's promises, treating them as precious treasures. These promises guide and sustain them through life's challenges, providing assurance and hope. Ignorance of these promises is likened to neglecting one's heavenly riches. [13:41]
- Trusting God's Promises for Salvation and Deliverance: The sermon invites believers to rely on God's promises for salvation, deliverance, and future blessings. By pleading these promises in prayer, believers can trust that God will be faithful to His word, bringing peace and rest to their souls. [40:45]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction and Context
- [00:26] - The Difference God Makes
- [01:06] - The Sons of God vs. Sons of Men
- [02:18] - Security in God's Presence
- [03:34] - Jacob's Reliance on God
- [04:57] - The Power of Prayer
- [07:02] - Pleading God's Promises
- [08:24] - God's Promises as Our Memorial
- [13:41] - Knowing God's Promises
- [19:04] - God's Bond and Faithfulness
- [21:29] - God's Unchanging Nature
- [24:25] - God's Wisdom and Power
- [29:00] - Pleading Against Unworthiness
- [40:45] - Trusting God's Promises for Deliverance
- [46:14] - Conclusion and Encouragement
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Genesis 32:12 - "And thou said, I will surely do thee good."
2. Isaiah 1:18 - "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
3. Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
#### Observation Questions
1. How does the sermon describe the difference between Esau and Jacob in terms of their relationship with God? [00:26]
2. What role does prayer play in Jacob's life according to the sermon, and how is it connected to God's promises? [07:02]
3. What does the sermon suggest about the nature of God's promises and His character? [21:29]
4. How does the sermon illustrate the importance of knowing and pleading God's promises? [13:41]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does the sermon imply about the impact of having God as one's portion in life, as seen in Jacob's story? [02:18]
2. How does the act of pleading God's promises in prayer serve as a "master key" to divine intervention, according to the sermon? [07:02]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that God's unchanging nature and faithfulness provide assurance to believers? [21:29]
4. How does the sermon portray the consequences of neglecting to know and cherish God's promises? [13:41]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt the difference of having God as your portion. How did it impact your situation, and how can you seek to deepen that relationship? [02:18]
2. Consider a promise from God that you hold dear. How can you incorporate it into your daily prayers and life challenges? [07:02]
3. What steps can you take to better understand and remember God's promises, treating them as precious treasures? [13:41]
4. How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God's unchanging nature and faithfulness, especially during times of uncertainty? [21:29]
5. Identify a specific area in your life where you need to rely on God's promises for deliverance or hope. How can you actively plead these promises in prayer? [40:45]
6. Think of a situation where you might have relied more on human words than God's promises. How can you shift your focus to prioritize God's word? [46:14]
7. How can you encourage others in your community to know and plead God's promises, fostering a culture of faith and reliance on His word? [13:41]
Devotional
Day 1: The Transformative Power of a Relationship with God
The distinction between having a relationship with God and not having one is profound. This is illustrated through the biblical figures of Esau and Jacob. Esau, despite his princely status, is described as a profane person, while Jacob, though frail and fallible, is blessed because he has God. Having God as one's portion transforms every aspect of life, providing security, guidance, and hope in the past, present, and future. Those who have God are secure and blessed, as illustrated by Jacob's life. This relationship provides hope and guidance in every aspect of life. [02:18]
Psalm 73:25-26 (ESV): "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to rely more on your relationship with God for guidance and hope?
Day 2: Unlocking Divine Intervention through Pleading God's Promises
Jacob's example of wrestling with God in prayer, using the promise "Thou said," highlights the power of pleading God's promises. This act of recalling and pleading God's word is a master key to unlocking divine intervention and blessings. Believers are encouraged to deeply know and cherish God's promises, treating them as precious treasures that guide and sustain them through life's challenges. By pleading these promises in prayer, believers can trust that God will be faithful to His word. [07:02]
Isaiah 62:6-7 (ESV): "On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth."
Reflection: What specific promise from God can you plead in prayer today, trusting Him for intervention in a particular area of your life?
Day 3: Trusting in God's Unchanging Nature and Faithfulness
God's promises are reliable because they are rooted in His unchanging nature, truthfulness, and omnipotence. He is bound by His word and will fulfill His promises, regardless of human unworthiness. Believers can trust in God's character and approach Him with confidence, using His promises as a foundation for their prayers and hopes. This trust in God's character reassures believers that He will fulfill His promises. [21:29]
Numbers 23:19 (ESV): "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"
Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God's unchanging nature and faithfulness in your daily life?
Day 4: The Importance of Knowing and Cherishing God's Promises
Believers are urged to study and know God's promises, treating them as precious treasures. These promises guide and sustain them through life's challenges, providing assurance and hope. Ignorance of these promises is likened to neglecting one's heavenly riches. By knowing and cherishing God's promises, believers can navigate life's difficulties with confidence and peace. [13:41]
2 Peter 1:4 (ESV): "By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."
Reflection: What steps can you take to better know and cherish God's promises, ensuring they guide you through life's challenges?
Day 5: Relying on God's Promises for Salvation and Deliverance
The sermon invites believers to rely on God's promises for salvation, deliverance, and future blessings. By pleading these promises in prayer, believers can trust that God will be faithful to His word, bringing peace and rest to their souls. This reliance on God's promises provides assurance of His faithfulness and the hope of future blessings. [40:45]
Psalm 34:17-18 (ESV): "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
Reflection: In what ways can you actively rely on God's promises for deliverance and future blessings in your life today?
Quotes
The possession of a god or the non-possession of a god makes the greatest possible difference between man and man. Esau is a princely being but he is a profane person. Jacob is a weak fallible frail creature but he has a god. Have you not heard of the mighty god of Jacob? [00:22:16]
If you have no god what have you? If you have no god what good have you to expect? What indeed can be good to you? If you have no god how can you face the past, the present, or the future? But if you have god for your portion, your whole history is covered. [00:31:36]
He who has a god will be sure to fly to him in his distress. There is no use in having a god if you do not use him. I am afraid that many professed Christians place their god afar off and never dream of repairing to him for practical sucker in the hour of danger. [00:35:36]
Tell him thy case, search out his promise and then plead it with holy boldness. This is the best, the surest, the speediest way of relief. What would some of us do if we had not a god to go to? Though we are not tried and troubled as some men are. [00:57:44]
When we come to pleading terms with god, there is nothing that so helps us as to be able to quote the promise and plead thou sensed. In handling my text, which was Jacob's prayer, I shall notice first that it ought to be our memorial, and secondly that it is god's bond. [00:08:09]
If we had a silent god who up to this age had never revealed himself by actual speech, if it were given out at this hour that now for the first time god was about to make a promise, how eagerly would all god-fearing men desire to hear it. [00:08:49]
We ought to cherish it in our heart of hearts. We ought to do this first with regard to what god hath said. You notice that Jacob puts it thou sensed and then he quotes the words surely I will do the good. It is an essential part of the education of a Christian. [00:10:52]
If you had in your house a number of checks which you believed to be good, I do not suppose that you would long be unaware of their nature and value. No merchant here would say I have a number of bills and drafts and checks at home somewhere. [00:12:16]
God all sufficient is still his name, his arm is not shortened so that he cannot reach us, neither is his hand pulsed that he cannot help us. The strongest sinew in an arm of flesh will crack in course of time, but the lord never faileth. [00:23:04]
The lord will never allow a slur to be cast upon his power which is one part of his glorious name. He wills to make his power known and it is never according to his mind to leave that power in doubt. Once more the lord's wisdom also holds him to his promise. [00:24:20]
If a man has made me a promise he cannot refuse to keep it on the ground that I am unworthy because it is his own character that is at stake not mine. However unworthy I am he must not prove himself to be unworthy by failing to keep his word. [00:28:10]
Your hope does not lie in what you can say but in what the lord has said. Think little of the word of man but think everything of the word of god. Believe it for yourself and see if it be not fulfilled cling to the promise come what may. [00:46:14]
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